So - this is the first day of my new plan... So far I am not impressed. My weight is up - again - but lower than it was yesterday, but that doesn't really count. I didn't eat well all weekend - but I didn't eat much either. I did have mussells on both Friday and Saturday for dinner - but they were counter-balanced by the drinks I had with them (Carrabas on Friday and Bonefish on Saturday). I made risotto on Sunday (I added veggies and beans to it) and had that for dinner on Sunday and lunch on Monday. Other than that I mostly just grazed, but there wasn't a lot to graze ON.
Exercise needs a LOT of work - but I am working on it. Saturday I walked up a hill. And couldn't breathe. We were at Wolftrap and parked pretty much as far away as you could get - but it wasn't THAT far. I was fine for the entire walk there (which again, wasn't THAT far!) but the first hill (which wasn't THAT steep) left me completely breathless. We had to stop at the top of it for me to catch my breath.
So Sunday I said, OK, do something that will get you heart rate up - even just for a few minutes. So I started jogging in place (BTW, Livestrong says I burn 19.2 calories per minute jogging in place). I set my timer to five minutes. Initially I was going to do three minutes, but changed it to five in the end... which was good - It was hard to make it to three, but I could and continued to five. My heart rate WAS up - it took a while to calm it back down.
On Monday I was going to start my day with a nice walk - only it was alreay 90 degrees out. Why does it always seem that when I want to start to get in shape we hit a heat wave??!? So I put on the AC, my exercise clothes and one of my 10 minute solution Carb Buster routines. I made it to 8 minutes.
I want to know if it is true that it doesn't matter if you do all of the exercise all at once, or if spreading it out over the day is OK. I have read mixed reports on that. I ran several laps around my house yesterday too, but only for about a minute each time.
Julie, I don't know what my exercise plan is yet. I guess I should make one. My PLAN was to do another 10 minute video to see if I can make it to the whole 10 minutes. This time I want to wear shoes. My biggest problem yesterday was that my ankles were KILLING me. I think shoes would help with that. Do you go to Brick Bodies still? Maybe we could make a plan. Even if it is one day a week...
This weekend I am going with Sarah and her troop to Encampment. From what I understand that is exhausting, but not aerobic. It has got to be better than the whole bunch of nothing I normally do.
I am back on the no excuses plan.
2 comments:
Good for you for getting serious about exercise! I remember when we were on the cruise you got on the treadmill and did a walking workout that had you going up something like 7% and 8% grades, which impressed the hell out of me. I always leave the incline at 0% or maybe 1% if I'm feeling strong! And if you could do it back then, which was only four years ago, you can get back to that level again.
I think the discrepancy between the different exercise advice is that one is looking at exercise for weight loss and one is looking at exercise for cardiovascular fitness. If you're just wanting to burn calories it doesn't matter if you have three ten minute workouts or one 30 minute workout--you'll pretty much burn the same number of calories.
But if you want to improve cardiovascular fitness you have to get your heart rate up to between 60% and 80% of capacity and keep it there for 20 minutes or more--it's that sustained effort that strengthens your heart and gets it to pump oxygen effectively so you're no longer out of breath from walking up a hill.
But like they say--anything is better than nothing. If all you can manage right now is five or ten minutes, do that. Do it more frequently during the day if possible, but at least do it. And then next week add two minutes. Do it every day--no excuses. When you're busy or don't feel like it or the weather is lousy, at least make yourself START the exercise (but tell yourself you can stop if you're too miserable). Most likely you won't stop. It's the getting going that's the hardest part.
Daniel's father has a saying -- "If it matters to you, you'll do it." So if you choose not to do something, you're effectively declaring that it doesn't matter to you. Good for you for committing to this. Remind yourself that it matters to you, and you'll do it!
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